Glassing versus hunting

Joined
Feb 5, 2023
Messages
81
Curious how more experienced hunters would handle this - I glassed a herd with 20 cows and a bull this morning feeding. I was glassing from one mountain away. As the elk were walking into timber at 9 am, another hunter saw them and took a hail mary shot. I assume he didn't connect because he didn't go look for blood (I watched thru binos). I'm debating setting up this evening ~700 yards away to give me room to move in and allow for them to come out in a slightly different area. There are other feeding areas nearby that I've seen elk, so they may just move to a new feeding area during the day, through dark timber.

Is there a chance they'll come out in a similar area tonight to feed? Or is my time best time glassing again, one mountain away, and not able to hunt. Thanks for your guidance.
 

hereinaz

WKR
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Joined
Dec 21, 2016
Messages
3,021
Location
Arizona
How many times have you seen them there?
Is it a migration area?
How many days left to hunt?
Did the shot make them move?
Have you seen elk from your glassing point that you can kill?
How fast can you move from glassing point to where you saw them?
Can you glass other areas if you move into the spot?
Is it worth spending a night glassing as normal to get more data?
Will going after them and failing make you more excited or less excited to go out again?

Good luck! That’s part of what I would be asking myself.
 

SWOHTR

WKR
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
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1,461
Location
Briney foam
I would leave, and tell us where this was so we can go investigate.

just kidding. I'd say consider all of the questions posed above, and in the absence of any other guidance, try it.
 
OP
R
Joined
Feb 5, 2023
Messages
81
Month left to hunt. This weekend only to hunt this area. It's West of the Mississippi. Might as well give'r.
 

Geewhiz

WKR
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Aug 6, 2020
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Location
SW MT
How far away is "one mountain away"? Depending on the factors that @hereinaz mentioned, id give myself the best vantage I could in an effort to locate them again, and as soon as you see them, get your butt in gear and go kill one. Just cus youre a mile or two away doesnt mean you have to wait until the next day to move in on them.

They obviously arent feeling too much pressure if they arent timbering up until 9am so you should have a bit of time before dark, or after daylight to make your move.
 
Joined
Sep 5, 2012
Messages
688
Location
Gypsum, CO
Glass em til you can make a move on them, spot and stalk instead of just trudging through timber and aspens pushing elk everywhere.

I’m more pissed at the “long range hunter” I’m gonna say it and if it pisses anyone off, if
You take a shot you walk ur ass over there to make sure you missed, if you don’t want to go walk over there don’t shoot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
R
Joined
Feb 5, 2023
Messages
81
Thanks, went to that same area tonight and they didn't come out. I'll glass tmrw and try to haul ass to get to them if I spot them again.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
1,780
Location
San Antonio
Two weeks ago I made a 1200 yard move down to the creek and up the other side, sat atop a ridge on my belly watching a herd with two fat cows bedded 92 yards from me and a couple decent bulls up a little higher. I was waiting for one of them to stand and debating just shooting in the head when somebody started lobbing rounds up from the road. He couldn't see the cows or bulls, was shooting at a spike that was down low and busted him running up from his buggy from straight downwind... a little creepy as the shots were angled a bit towards me. Anyway, all that to say that we hunted quite a bit where we could see this area from afar and a buddy sat closer as well, herd came back 6 days later.
 
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